What's Hot for Back to School?

Do your students have the latest and greatest technology as they head back to school this year?  Check to this post on foxnews.com.  Backpacks are transforming into "Powerbags", disks are dead and netbooks are going the way of the dinosaur.  Having a college age son, I was intrigued by the 2011 study by CourseSmart, an e-book seller.  Almost half of the respondents in the survey indicated they would be more likely to complete a reading assignment if it was in a digital format.  Having spent untold funds on ridiculously priced college textbooks that never get read, I'm all about e-texts for college.  My son purchased a tablet a week and a half ago and just finished just his second e-book.  While he is well read, in digital terms, he's never been a big fan of traditional books.  If our colleges and universities would just do away with their overpriced bookstores, maybe more college students would read those assigned texts.  Here is the piece from foxnews.com:

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/09/04/back-to-school-gadgets-evolution/ 

So Do Digital Texts Save Money or Not?

The problem I have with all of these discussions is they seem to focus exclusively on the financial considerations associated with digital texts.  What about enhancing the learning and educational experience for kids?  What about connecting with kids and engaging them in digital environments in which they thrive outside of the classroom?  Wouldn't that be worth spending a little more?  It's a no brainer that costs associated with digital learning will continue to decrease while quality increases.  Most importantly, educators will continue to develop their capacity to use the technology to enhance student learning.  So what are we waiting for?  Hats off to McAllen Independent School District, Pinellas County Schools, Vail School District, Riverside Unified School District.

Attached is a well written article by Jason Tomassini in Education Week that summarizes the pros and cons of rolling out e-texts in schools.


http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/05/09/30etextbooks_ep.h31.html?tkn=QSUF%2FJ7xBvV40WxEczEyEvcij6%2F5iab6a397&cmp=ENL-DD-NEWS1